A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Chapter 709: Grand Celebration P3

A soft and almost silent music began to flow through the grand hall.

It was light and calm, like a slow river. The voices slowly died down as everyone turned their attention forward.

Aksai appeared on the raised platform at the front of the hall. He wore simple robes, yet his presence felt full of life yet silently threatening like that of a sacred forest. The moment he stood there, the entire hall became quiet.

He looked around and gave a slight nod.

“Thank you all for coming,” Aksai said in a clear and calm voice. “It means a lot to me that so many friends and seniors could take the time to be here today.”

He paused and smiled faintly.

“This gathering was prepared to celebrate my breakthrough into the Core Formation realm,” he continued. “But there is another reason as well.”

A few people leaned forward.

“Today is also my seventy-ninth birthday.”

For a brief moment, the hall was completely silent.

Then quiet gasps spread through the crowd.

Many Experts widened their eyes. Some even forgot to hide their shock. A few Core Formation Lords exchanged looks with each other.

Seventy-nine.

That number echoed in many minds.

Becoming a Core Formation Lord before reaching a hundred years of age was almost unheard of. In the present era, the youngest Lord had been the Purple River Lord. Even he had been over one hundred and fifty years old when he broke through, and that had happened more than two hundred years ago.

Some Experts felt their hearts tighten.

They were already more than a hundred years old, yet they were still struggling in the Foundation Establishment realm. And the man standing before them had already stepped into the Core Formation realm before even reaching eighty.

Wasn’t becoming a Core Formation Lord tens or even hundreds of times more difficult than becoming an Expert? At least that was what was considered a common knowledge in Dadangar Subcontinent.

Compared to common sense, Aksai felt unreal.

The older Lords felt mixed emotions as well. Some were amazed. Some felt bitter. Others felt a quiet sense of pressure. While they were already in the middle or even near the end of their lifespan, Aksai was only at the very beginning.

In modern terms, it was like watching a young boy become rich beyond measure through his own effort. It was like a high school graduate becoming a millionaire through the part time business he started in his parents’ garage. Although it was technically possible, it was almost unheard of. So every time something like that happened, it would create a wave of mixed feelings among the masses.

Whispers began to rise across the hall.

“This is too fast…”

“Is this even possible?”

“What kind of path did he walk?”

Aksai heard the low voices and saw the looks directed at him. He only smiled.

“I know this sounds hard to believe,” he said lightly. “To be honest, I was just lucky.”

The hall grew quiet again.

“I happened to encounter a special opportunity,” Aksai continued. “That chance pushed me forward and allowed me to step into the Core Formation realm earlier than usual.”

He shook his head with a small laugh.

“But that luck is already used up. I don’t expect such things to happen again.”

The Core Formation Lords listened closely.

In the end, they nodded.

If it were not for an extreme stroke of luck, Aksai’s growth would have been too absurd to accept. Even they felt that his explanation made sense. Some of them had also experienced rare chances in their long lives, though none as great as his.

‘It has to be related to the Holy Land Torel in the Wild Devil Lands,’ the Haan Di Lord thought to himself as he looked at Aksai and smiled. The other Lords thought the same.

Aksai knew that the other Lords would link his success to the Holy Land Torel as soon as he spoke about a lucky encounter. After all, they had all seen him in the Blackblood Sect when he was introduced to them by the Blackblood Lord himself as his savior and disciple.

That was why Aksai had brought the topic up. Technically, what he said was not a complete lie, but it was not the whole truth either.

The Holy Land Torel had indeed helped Aksai in more ways than one. But it was not the sole reason behind his current success.

Aksai’s trifecta of success had always been his Enchanted Everwood Farm, the Myriad Worlds Painting, and his Neural Link Fabric. He did not want the existence of any of those three aspects to get out. So he was fine with crediting his success to the Holy Land Torel.

Aksai knew that what he said today would make the other Lords spend even more time and effort exploring the Holy Land Torel. However, he was fine with it because he knew that the core inheritance of that isolated dimension could never be obtained by the other Lords and their followers.

The Holy Land Torel belonged to him and him alone. Let the other Lords fight over the scraps. He could not stop them from trying with his current powers. He could also not take complete ownership of the Holy Land Torel so soon for many reasons. As such, he decided to play it safe.

The tension in the hall slowly eased. The Purple River Lord was the first to stand up.

“Regardless of the reason,” he said, “becoming a Core Formation Lord at such an age is worthy of respect. Congratulations, Lord Aksai.”

He paused, then added with a faint smile, “And happy birthday.”

The other Lords followed one after another.

“Congratulations.”

“Happy seventy-ninth birthday.”

“May your Dao path face fewer hurdles and more successes.”

Soon, the Experts and other guests stood as well, offering their congratulations and birthday wishes. The hall filled with warm voices, and Aksai stood on the platform, listening to it all with a calm smile.

The soft music slowly faded as Aksai turned and walked toward the throne-like chair placed at the center of the raised platform. The chair was simple but solid, carved from dark wood and inlaid with faint spirit patterns. It did not look flashy, yet it had a regal feel to it, much like Aksai himself.

He sat down slowly and then raised his hand.

“Please,” he said in an even tone. “Fellow Lords, join me.”

On both sides of Aksai’s seat, rows of chairs had already been prepared. They were placed slightly lower than his throne but still high enough to show respect.

Aksai knew that pleasing the other Lords would help him in the long run. Not only were they his seniors in terms of age and experience but they also controlled bigger territories and had more say in the Dadangar Subcontinent as a whole.

He might not like the dirty games they play but that didn’t mean he would antagonize them. Instead, he wanted to be in on their little games so that he could also learn from them and get better over time.

Aksai always had a bottom line when it came to dealing with mortals and low level Spirit cultivators but he wasn’t a saint. His empathy was, for the most part, limited to people he knew. As such, he didn’t mind making use of the Experts from the Big Five Sects to his advantage.

One by one, the Core Formation Lords stepped forward and took their seats. Their movements were calm, and no one tried to rush ahead. This was not a place for showing off.

Once everyone had settled, the distance between Lords felt smaller. This was no longer a distant ceremony. It felt more like a gathering of equals.

The Purple River Lord was the first to speak. He stood up slightly and cupped his hands.

“I still remember you from Haitin Blackblood’s wedding,” he said. “You were introduced as that old lecher Hayat Blackblood’s disciple. Hahaha. Back then, no one would have guessed that you would stand here today as a Lord.”

Aksai nodded lightly and smiled mirthlessly. He conveyed that he was not completely comfortable with his late in-name master being labeled as a lecher in front of everyone but he didn’t say anything to the Purple River Lord as he knew this type of banter was a norm among the fellow Lords.

The Sun Ocean Lord followed.

“Hahaha. The Blackblood Lord indeed spoke highly of you,” he said. “He was thankful for your assistance in freeing him and also proud of you for the talent you had shown him. It is a pity he is no longer here. If he were, he would have laughed loudly and drunk himself silly today.”

A faint smile appeared on Aksai’s face. The Green Glory Lord let out a low sigh.

“That old fellow had good eyes,” he said. “To take in a disciple like you on such a small notice… truly rare. His death was sudden, but seeing you reach this step now makes me realize why he was so passionate about roping you in.”

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